Open access

Papers, explained

338 open-access papers, free to watch.

Redox regulation in O2 -tolerant [FeFe] hydrogenases: insights from two homologues 4:33

Redox regulation in O2 -tolerant [FeFe] hydrogenases: insights from two homologues

Most hydrogen-making enzymes fail when they meet air. But two nearly matching versions of one enzyme behave very differently: one recovers quickly, while the other gets stuck in a protected inactive state.

Plea for a theory of open texture 3:52

Plea for a theory of open texture

What happens when a new discovery makes an old word stop giving us a clear answer? The problem is not simply that we lack information: sometimes the word itself seems to wobble.

Significant heat-transfer enhancement via polymer additives in two-dimensional sheared convection 3:06

Significant heat-transfer enhancement via polymer additives in two-dimensional sheared convection

Cooling powerful electronics is becoming harder, and air alone may not be enough. This study finds that adding polymers to flowing liquid can, under the right conditions, make heat move dramatically faster.

Molecular Beam Epitaxy Synthesis of Ternary Nitride PrTaN2 and its Crystal Structure Determination 3:35

Molecular Beam Epitaxy Synthesis of Ternary Nitride PrTaN2 and its Crystal Structure Determination

Some materials may exist only when they are built as extremely thin layers. This study creates one such compound and works out its hidden atomic arrangement from limited evidence.

Acute cardiovascular responses to slow and deep breathing in normotensive non-pregnant and pregnant women 4:40

Acute cardiovascular responses to slow and deep breathing in normotensive non-pregnant and pregnant women

High blood pressure during pregnancy can threaten both mother and baby, yet medication is not always welcome. This study asks whether changing the pace of breathing can briefly bring the pregnant heart’s responses closer to those seen outside pregnancy.

ChatGPT’s feedback credibility and students’ perceived learning: the role of agent-related social perceptions 3:39

ChatGPT’s feedback credibility and students’ perceived learning: the role of agent-related social perceptions

When ChatGPT gives writing advice, students may trust it not only because of what it says, but because the system seems capable and understanding. That trust is linked to how much learning they feel has happened.

Little evidence for cultural differences in automatic imitation 2:59

Little evidence for cultural differences in automatic imitation

When someone across from you lifts a finger, your own hand may be pulled toward copying them before you decide anything. The surprising question is whether that hidden pull changes with culture.

Causal Relationship Network of Risk Factors Impacting Workday Loss in Underground Coal Mines 2:55

Causal Relationship Network of Risk Factors Impacting Workday Loss in Underground Coal Mines

When a miner misses work after an injury or illness, the cause may be more than the accident itself. A new analysis maps the chain of conditions that lead to lost workdays underground.

Singing Homer : Modern Greek songs, digital literacy, and the experiential reception of the epics in secondary education 4:11

Singing Homer : Modern Greek songs, digital literacy, and the experiential reception of the epics in secondary education

Homer can feel like a locked room: important, famous, and very far away. In one Greek classroom, students found a key in an unexpected place, not another lecture, but modern songs.

Renormalization-group improved Schwarzschild black hole: shadow, ringdown, and strong cosmic censorship 4:14

Renormalization-group improved Schwarzschild black hole: shadow, ringdown, and strong cosmic censorship

What if the center of a black hole is not an infinitely crushed point, but a smooth core? This study finds that smoothing the center can change the inside dramatically while leaving the outside looking remarkably familiar.

AI use and risk disclosure by investment advisers 2:41

AI use and risk disclosure by investment advisers

When an investment adviser mentions artificial intelligence, it is slightly more likely to be warning clients about it than boasting about using it. But even that headline depends on how the words are counted.

Why No One Has Implemented the Turing Test: Identifying Turing’s Design and Putting it into Practice 3:22

Why No One Has Implemented the Turing Test: Identifying Turing’s Design and Putting it into Practice

People often say today’s chatbots have passed the Turing test. This paper argues that the test most people mean is not Turing’s test, and that, under his actual design, the machine still failed.